Use BFNP Framework to Optimize your NAS File Transfer Performance

To optimize your file transfer speed between PC and NAS, I create a BFNP to help you do a quick check in your network. BFNP is Background process, File type, Network, and Protocol.

Background Process – Disable Unwanted

Disable unwanted service may help your NAS secure and won’t be slow down for background process while transferring files.

For my QNAP NAS, I use it primary for development and data protection. I didn’t use it for multimedia like DLNA, streaming, and etc. Therefore, I always disable Media Library.

As you may see in Performance Comparison on Retrieving Contacts from SugarCRM with QNAP TS-112, TS-212P, and TS-119PII, there are 46% performance gain after disabling media library to retrieve 5 contacts on QNAP: TS-112.

If you have installed Apache–MySQL–PHP packages applications like WordPress from App Center, it will slowdown your performance, too.

File Type – One Big is Better than Many Small

One big file is much faster than many smaller files. For example, it is faster to transfer one 1.0GB file than 1,024 1.0MB files.

Therefore, I always compress smaller files as one zip file. Besides, it also takes fewer space to save in disk. It is explained very clearly in Files and Clusters.

Network – Bottleneck is King

It’s how your connect from source to destination. If there is a slow device in between, any file transfer between source and destination will slowdown.

I use this concept to spend on a much cheaper and slower NAS in Use a Low Performance NAS as a Media Server. My TP-Link TL-WR842ND will slow down everything pass through.

Maximum MTU doesn’t mean best performance. Test and compare yourself.

Protocol – Find your True Love

As mentioned in File Transmission with Different Sharing Solution on NAS, different protocol with different connection command will results in different performance.

Samba, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Network File System (NFS), and iSCSI perform very different and fits different needs. You have to choose the best you for yourself.

For mixed-operating-system environment, please check incompatible on file names. Some valid files in Linux is illegal in Windows.

Reference

1. QNAP Media Library
2. Performance Comparison on Retrieving Contacts from SugarCRM with QNAP TS-112, TS-212P, and TS-119PII
3. QNAP: TS-112
4. Wiki: List of Apache–MySQL–PHP packages
5. QNAP: App Center: WordPress
6. Microsoft: Windows: Dev Center: Desktop: Files and Clusters
7. Use a Low Performance NAS as a Media Server
8. DD-WRT for my TP-Link TL-WR842ND
9. Maximum MTU doesn’t mean Best Performance
10. File Transmission with Different Sharing Solution on NAS
11. Using Microsoft Networking via Samba with QNAP TS-112 and LevelOne GNS-1001
12. Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Services with QNAP TS-112
13. Using Network File System (NFS) Service with QNAP TS-112
14. Using iSCSI with QNAP TS-112
15. Performance Comparison on Backup Linux Files to QNAP TS-212P